BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Jefferson County Commission's decision to close the inpatient care unit at Cooper Green Mercy Hospital could harm indigent patients and workers being laid off, some state lawmakers said today.

"I think that the county has set up a process that I believe is inhumane, even with the discharge of the personnel, to put them on leave without pay," state Rep. Mary Moore, D-Birmingham said.

Eight legislators - six Democrats and two Republicans - met for 90-minutes with Jefferson County Manager Tony Petelos at the downtown Birmingham Business Alliance headquarters to discuss the changes at Cooper Green.

Lawmakers included State Reps. John Rogers, D-Birmingham and Paul DeMarco, R-Homewood, co-chairmen of the local legislative delegation, met for the first time with the county to hear about the changes.

Petelos told legislators, "the most important aspect of this is we want to insure the patients continue to receive the care that they need and also that the (indigent) dollars will follow them when they go to area hospitals" when they need inpatient service.

All the clinics and outpatients services will continue to operate, Petelos said.

Rogers said a "pandemic of fear" was being spread among patients who frequent the county owned hospital for the poor.

"I think this is a miscarriage of justice," he told Petelos. "I want to know why you want to punish these poor people. And to come up during the holidays and tell somebody, 'we're going to put you on leave without pay.' That's ridiculous."

Moore said she didn't believe $40 million in the indigent care fund would be enough to follow 40,000 indigent patients. "That's plain arithmetic," Moore said. "It's not going to happen. You need to stop misleading people," she told Petelos.

Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, who said she has relatives who utilize Cooper Green, questioned how the county planned to let patients know what happens to them after Tuesday.

"I'm upset because my phone won't stop ringing," Givan said. People don't know what to do, she said. "My concern is making sure the people get the right information. There should be some type of public forum at the Boutwell Auditorium, at the BJCC (Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex)."

Petelos said letters were sent to hospital patients with a number to call for information. And county officials will be discussing the matter across multiple media platforms over the "next several weeks," he said.

"The (inpatient unit) closes on Tuesday," Givan said.

Jefferson County Commissioner George Bowman and Cooper Green supporters were also in attendance along with Otis Story, a hospital consultant, who advises the county.